The 20 best breaks on 'SNL' of all time

When “Debbie Downer” premiered on SNL , the Rachel Dratch character became an instant icon. Her efforts to bring the mood down were so hilarious that they actually brought the mood up, making all of her co-stars and host Lindsay Lohan break in the process. 

Just about everyone on stage broke when seeing Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day dressed up as Beavis and Butt-Head, respectively, but no one had a harder time keeping it together than Heidi Gardner. The moment went instantly viral and was arguably the best sketch of the season. 

Kate McKinnon can have even the most seasoned professionals cracking up at her ridiculous characters, and few have been more ridiculous than her alien-experience country gal on “Close Encounter.” Ryan Gosling and Aidy Bryant could barely make it through the sketch. 

From the dress rehearsal of “The Californians” to air, Fred Armisen changed his accent to make it even funnier, making Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig break their equally funny characters. The skit is still one of the best in the show’s history. 

John Mulaney infamously changed the script any time Bill Hader did a Stefon skit, making what he said on air infinitely more absurd than what he had rehearsed, resulting in epic character breaks masked by Hader covering his mouth with his hands. Perhaps no Stefon break has been more epic than in the St. Patrick’s Day edition of the sketch. 

To be fair, it would be incredibly difficult not to laugh in the presence of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. When the two acted as showcase models in “Super Showcase Spokesmodels,” they were cracking everyone up, including themselves. 

Chris Farley’s very existence made people laugh, but his epic character, Matt Foley, was particularly hysterical. When he debuted the character in the “Van Down By The River,” nobody was safe from breaking. 

There was no hope for anyone in the “Short Shorts for the USA” sketch. Will Ferrell in a patriotic thong is just too funny, especially considering he wore a slightly more conservative outfit in the dress rehearsal. 

Every “Scared Straight” sketch featured Andy Samberg and Bill Hader breaking. Jason Sudeikis, as a police officer, would jump onto the desk in a more ridiculous fashion each time he did it. 

Jimmy Fallon is infectious when it comes to breaking, and he isn’t immune to the disease when he’s playing the lead in a sketch. His "Leather Man" character was just too good and always had actors breaking. 

It was a tiny break, but it was a mighty break. Jimmy Fallon got caught up in the absurdity of More Cowbell and could barely deliver his line to Will Ferrell. The rest of the cast managed to keep it together, but Fallon’s break made the sketch even funnier. 

Any time Jimmy Fallon was on stage, particularly with Will Ferrell, he was at risk of breaking. In the “Jeffrey’s with Sean Hayes” sketch, Fallon broke before anyone even said a word, probably laughing at what he knew was about to happen. 

SNL actors have been breaking since the very beginning. In the second season, OG cast member Gilda Radner and OG female host Candace Bergen couldn’t help but break at each other in the “Extremely Stupid” sketch. 

This list could be made entirely of Will Ferrell, Rachel Dratch, and Jimmy Fallon sketches. No combination of SNL actors was more lethal when it came to breaking. One of the funniest examples of this was during “The Love-ahs” sketch. 

Some characters are just too much — in the best way. Ego Nwodim, as the eponymous character in the “Lisa from Temecula” sketches, is entirely too much, and it’s hard not to laugh at. 

Something about Kristen Wiig trying to follow Fred Armisen singing the most ridiculous lyrics of all time is impossibly funny, but it was taken to a whole new level when they brought out instruments for Mother’s Day. Wiig holding the flute incorrectly is everything. 

There’s a reason the same actors are mentioned time after time when it comes to breaks. Comedians like Will Ferrell had everyone laughing all the time, especially in sketches like “Dr. Beaman’s Office: Test Results.”

Kevin Hart just loves to laugh. He’s often the one making people break, but sometimes he’s the culprit. Hart, as host, could barely keep it together while on stage for the “Barnes and Noble Firing” sketch. 

Some of the greatest SNL sketches of all time have come from their holiday episodes. Fred Armisen and Bill Hader as Renaldo and Alexi, respectively, are an excellent example of this phenomenon and one of the best breaks of all time.  

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are two SNL actors who are well acquainted with breaking. These two as Brady and Anastasia on “Hollywood Dish” were too funny for each other to handle, let alone the audience. Two of the show’s icons made for an iconic break.